Former Senator and Secretary of the Treasury Lloyd Bentsen died today at the age of 85. He was an estimable public servant for decades, but Bentsen will likely always best be known for the moment in the 1988 vice presidential debate in which he confronted opponent Dan Quayle with the immortal line "I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.''
It's probably the most memorable line in the history of vice presidential debates, although it probably doesn't have much competition for such a title. The only other contender, I figure, would be James Stockdale's "who am I? Why am I here?" routine from 1992.
Probably the only smart thing Dukakis did was name Bentsen as a runningmate. In fact, Bentsen would have been a better presidential candidate than the Duke. What I've always found interesting is that Bush, Sr. and Bentsen ran against each other in 1970 for US Senate from Texas. Ironically, Bush was the liberal in that race.
Posted by: Ev at May 24, 2006 10:12 AM